Midweek Meals: Five delicious dinners ready in less than 30 minutes

From fish, pasta, beef and veggies — there's something for everyone in these tasty dishes

If you find yourself tight on time this week, these meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Fish tacos

A stalwart of American food trucks, these tacos are stuffed with hearty vegetables and delicate flavour and will be in regular rotation on your weekly menu

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 40g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp garlic granules

• salt

• pepper 

• 1 egg

• 300g fresh cod or haddock fillets, cut into goujons

• 6–7 sprays of rapeseed oil

• For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp lighter than light mayo

• 1 tsp yellow American mustard

• 1 pickled gherkin, finely chopped

• 1 tsp pickle juice from the gherkin jar

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced

• juice of ½ a lime

• To build the tacos:

• 4–6 small wholemeal wraps

• Shredded lettuce

• 1 red onion, halved then finely sliced into half moons

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 3-4 tbsp tinned sweetcorn

• 1 radish, finely sliced

• fresh coriander (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Lash the panko, smoked paprika and garlic granules, along with the salt and pepper, into a bowl and mix well.

3. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then dip the goujons first into the egg, then into the spice mix, making sure they are coated evenly.

4. Spray a baking tray with a little oil and evenly lay out the coated pieces of fish on it. Pop in the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning and spraying with a little oil halfway through, until the coating is golden and brown.

5. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small ramekin and put to one side.

6. Heat the wraps on a dry pan until soft or pop in the microwave for 20 seconds, then lash on the lettuce, onion, tomato and cooked fish goujons. Finish by shaking over some sweetcorn, drizzle over the sauce, and garnish with some radish and optional coriander.
   This recipe is from Gina and Karol Daly's The Daly Dish Rides Again, published by Gill Books.

Pasta Piselli

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

An easy peasy Italian pasta recipe that makes use of what you already have in your cupboard and freezer

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 13 mins

Total Time

 18 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• ½ onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 800ml stock, chicken or vegetable stock

• 150g frozen peas

• 200g pasta, whatever you have handy

• 50g Parmesan, grated

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Lemon, squeeze of lemon

• Mint leaves to serve, optional

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and leave to saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. If the pan begins to dry add a splash of the stock.

2. Add the garlic and the pasta and stir for a minute or so. Add the stock, parmesan, a squeeze of lemon and begin to simmer.

3. Leave for between 7-10 minutes, be careful not to let the ingredients stick to the pan so do stir as you go. Add the peas for the last 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve with fresh mint and a little grated parmesan. Enjoy.

Lean beef stroganoff

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This recipe was given to me by Patricia O'Flaherty from A Touch Of Magic in Carrigaline

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, sliced and diced

• 2 crushed cloves of garlic (use a grater for speed!)

• 400g lean beef or beef medallions, thinly sliced

• 50g sliced button mushrooms

• 400ml of beef broth (or 1 stock cube dissolved into 400ml boiling water)

• 2 tbsp of tomato puree

• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp of freshly chopped thyme or use ½ tsp dried thyme

• Salt & pepper to season

• ½ tsp paprika

• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

• ½ tsp balsamic vinegar

• 90g of 0% fat-free natural yoghurt (brought to room temperature before using)

• Spray oil

Method

1. Get all your ingredients ready so you’ll whizz through this recipe.

2. Add thyme to the beef stock and let infuse for a few minutes before you start the beef searing — give the thyme… time!

3. Spray a non-stick frying pan with some oil and once it's hot, sear your beef until it starts to go golden, remove and set aside to rest.

4. Add your onion, mushrooms and garlic and sauté for just under a minute on medium heat, you don’t want the garlic burning as it will leave a bitter aftertaste. Once softened, add a few tablespoons of your beef broth and turn up the heat, as the stock starts to reduce keep adding more and more, continuing until you have about ¼ of the stock remaining. As you reduce the stock you are intensifying the flavour.

5. Next add tomato purée, paprika, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar.

6. Return the beef to the pan and nestle with all the yummy sauce, simmer for a minute to get the beef mingling with the rest of the ingredients, turn off the heat and then stir in your yogurt.

7. This is yummy served up with either rice, cauliflower rice, potatoes or mixed through pasta.

Perfect carbonara with pancetta

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Carbonara might not seem like an egg dish but it absolutely is. Some recipes use eggs and cream, some recipes use eggs and butter and some recipes just use eggs. In any case, they are the essential ingredient for a proper carbonara.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced

• 100g pancetta, cubed

• 300g dried linguine

• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

• 60g Parmesan, grated

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 50g butter

• Olive oil

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and just about starting to turn golden. Remove the garlic from the pan with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until nice and crispy.

2. While you are making the sauce, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, but keep a good sized cup of the pasta water.

3. Mix together the eggs and extra yolk in a medium sized bowl along with most of the grated parmesan (reserve a little for scattering over at the end) and plenty of freshly-cracked black pepper. Tip the drained pasta into the frying pan with the crispy pancetta and garlicky oil. Toss it all around so that the pasta is covered in oil.

4. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the egg mixture, tossing everything together vigorously. Pour in enough pasta water to loosen up the sauce, while you continue to toss the pasta.

5. Divide into serving bowls and scatter the remaining grated Parmesan over it. Serve and eat immediately.
   
   Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

Prawn and chickpea curry

Super quick, easy and healthy - the perfect midweek meal.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large diced onion

• 3 cloves of garlic (grated)

• ½ tsp salt flakes

• ½ thumb fresh ginger (grated)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 tbsp mild curry powder (1 tbsp if you don’t like it spicy)

• 1x 400g can crushed tomatoes

• 1x 400g can drained chickpeas

• 1x 400g can coconut milk

• Juice of half lime

• 1 kg raw tiger prawns (peeled and deveined)

Method

1. Add olive oil to a pan and bring to heat, add your onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute until golden.

2. Add your dry spices, turmeric, cumin and curry powder and stir to blend, cook gently so all the spices have time to cook through.

3. Next, add your chopped tomatoes and stir, followed by your coconut milk and finally your drained chickpeas.

4. Squeeze the juice of half a lime and stir.

5. Tip in your uncooked prawns and cook for a further 3-4minutes on medium heat until the prawns have slightly curled into a soft 'C' and turned pink in colour.

6. Turn off the heat and let rest for a minute or two

7. Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, couscous or stir through pasta and your choice of steamed vegetables.